What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ellington has the most affordable homes ($367k median).

Northbridge has the most expensive homes ($449k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Ellington	Northbridge
People
Population	16,455Lowest	16,458Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±2.4Lowest 5% above U.S.	43.8±2.6Highest 13% above U.S.
	Northbridge and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	21.1%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Ellington and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ellington and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	51.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ellington and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$129,913±$17kHighest 61% above U.S.	$111,319±$19kLowest 38% above U.S.
	Ellington and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$366,900±$17kLowest 10% above U.S.	$448,600±$15kHighest 35% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,737±$212Highest 23% above U.S.	$1,207±$102Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,751Highest 116% above U.S.	$4,821Lowest 55% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.2%±9.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Northbridge and Ellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 18% above U.S.	31 minLowest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	18.4%±3.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	16.2%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Ellington and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 149 in CT	#226 of 282 in MA
School district	Ellington School District	Northbridge
High school in town	Ellington High School	Northbridge High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	10.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.